Finding your format

Arguably, video content is THE best way to engage with an online audience so when you’re wanting to communicate a particular message, it can be easy to jump to a single conclusion on what creative treatment might be right for you and to disregard everything else. But by doing this you are potentially missing the chance of making your message the best it can be an in some cases, this can be detrimental to your budget.

When we say creative treatment, what we mean is the kind of production style you go for, so for example it could be a traditional sit-down interview, an animated infographic or a piece to camera recorded in a studio. Let us look at some of these and why they are right for some goals and not for others.

1. The traditional sit-down interview is often the cornerstone of many company overview films. The content is lead by the companies teams and if the interview is conducted correctly, the answers will be delivered from the heart and not just the head – in other words, with complete sincerity. These are a great way of giving a company or product a personality, by seeing and hearing the people behind the brand it adds that human touch which is vital for engaging with your audience. So that’s where this format thrives. Where it may not be as suitable is if you are trying to explain technical facts and figures or detailed production work flows. Sometimes, depending on the speaker, having a person deliver lots of facts and figures rather than emotional content, can end up being a long-winded exercise for both speaker and viewer.

Take a look at how Lancashire law firm Farleys utilised this format to it's best abilility.

2. Animation - Animation is great for explaining processes and delivering facts and figures and can bring to life what can sometimes be considered boring or difficult topics. By animating data and system diagrams, you can quickly and confidently explain your product or service in a way that is eye catching and engaging for the viewer and doesn’t leave them disinterested. One thing to consider though is if done from scratch i.e with no existing assets, animation can take longer to produce than if done with pre-existing assets thus increasing the production time and therefore the budget required. There are also projects though where a combination of animation and filmed content might be the ideal creative solution for your message, just like how Businesswise Solutions did.

3. Finally, if neither of these seem like the right fit and your project needs a quick turn-around with limited budget, a simple piece to camera recorded in a studio could be the answer. With the option to record on an autocue there is no need to learn any lines and maintaining that all important eye contact with the viewer is easy. This kind of production lends itself well to short internal messages, virtual awards ceremonies, product demos and vlogs…and videos like THIS one from our Vlog collection. The applications are far reaching and typically requires less production time. However if it’s a deeper level of engagement that you require and want to give a real insight into a company or brand, we go back to treatment number 1.

Video creation is not a one size fits all process so it’s absolutely essential to take the time to think about what you want to achieve from your content first, and the right format should flow from there. We are here to help at Bigtank so if you are unsure about what the best direction to take is for your messages and stories, get in touch. You can find more video insights and explore a range of formats at: https://www.bigtank.co.uk/